Moonshot Flanders technologies could reduce CO₂ emissions from Flemish industry by 5.6 million tonnes

Valorisation of lignocellulose

Plant-based biomass is a valuable source of chemical building blocks. It mainly consists of cellulose and lignin. Cellulose is widely used in the production of paper and cardboard, generating large quantities of lignin as a by-product. This lignin offers significant potential as a renewable feedstock for the chemical industry, as it can be converted into bio-aromatics: chemical building blocks that can replace fossil-based raw materials in applications such as coatings, adhesives and fuels.

From the outset, Moonshot Flanders has strongly supported the valorisation of lignin. During the first project call, two projects focusing on this topic were approved. The NIBCON project investigated the conversion of lignin into various valuable bio-based building blocks, while PADDL explored how these building blocks could be used to develop new bio-based plasticisers, antioxidants, UV stabilisers and flame retardants.

This knowledge was subsequently scaled up. The PILLAR project led to the construction of a new pilot installation at KU Leuven's TRANSfarm site, converting biomass residues into lignin oil into lignin oil. Through this project, research organisation VITO also expanded its infrastructure with the PILLAR II unit, which converts lignin from biomass into a liquid form. This lignin oil is subsequently processed into high-value bio-aromatics in the LignoValue pilot plant.

Carbon Capture and Utilisation

CO₂ is not only a waste product but can also serve as a valuable feedstock. As a result, Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU) plays a key role in the transition of Flemish industry towards climate neutrality. Moonshot Flanders has supported several innovation projects in this field.

In the D2M project, researchers developed new catalytic technologies to efficiently convert CO₂ into carbon monoxide, an important feedstock for the chemical industry. The knowledge generated within the project helped lay the foundation for D-CRBN, a spin-off of the PLASMANT research group at the University of Antwerp, which is now further developing and commercialising the innovative plasma technology.

The Moonshot Flanders project Super-Dry Reforming also focused on CO₂ valorisation. Within this project, a new pilot installation was opened at the Laboratory for Chemical Technology (LCT) at Ghent University. The installation converts CO₂ together with (bio)methane into carbon monoxide in an energy-efficient manner.

Plastics recycling

Plastics have become indispensable in our daily lives, yet after use they are often incinerated. As a result, the valuable carbon atoms they contain are lost and released into the atmosphere as CO₂. To reduce these emissions and recover this carbon, Moonshot Flanders supports projects focused on plastic waste recycling.

Researchers in the Moonshot projects CoRe², CoRe²-2, CHRONICLE and PURE-SCALE developed innovative technologies for the chemical recycling of various plastics, including polyurethanes, polyesters, polyamides and polycarbonates, into new circular building blocks. These research efforts led to the creation of the spin-off Purtiso, which converts polyurethane from products such as mattresses back into its primary building blocks, polyols and isocyanates. These can then be reused to produce new high-quality plastics.

In addition, the Later-Stage Innovation project CLARIFY resulted in the installation of a new plastic recycling pilot plant at the Laboratory for Circular Process Engineering (LCPE) at Ghent University in January 2026. The installation focuses on separating inks and thin layers, such as aluminium, from plastic films in order to recover high-quality building blocks for circular plastics.

Green hydrogen production

Hydrogen is an important feedstock for the chemical industry and is widely regarded as a promising alternative energy carrier. Today, more than 95% of hydrogen is produced from methane, commonly referred to as ‘grey hydrogen’. This production process is associated with significant CO₂ emissions. Moonshot Flanders therefore focuses on the production of 'green hydrogen' using renewable energy.

The Moonshot project HyPPr developed a groundbreaking technology: panels that use sunlight to produce green hydrogen from moisture in the ambient air. A first pilot line was built at KU Leuven's TRANSfarm site to scale up and validate the technology.

This research led to the creation of Solhyd, a KU Leuven spin-off that aims to bring the technology to market. In early 2026, the start-up signed a collaboration agreement with Nippon Gases, Ether Energy and SunBuild to build the world's first hydrogen park at a site in Wallonia.

Further scaling up and implementation

Moonshot Flanders has already delivered significant results. From new bio-based materials and carbon capture and utilisation to plastic recycling and green hydrogen production, the innovation programme contributes to the development of climate-neutral technologies that are currently being scaled up to pilot and demonstration level and, in some cases, are already being commercialised through start-ups and scale-ups.

Over the coming years, these technologies will increasingly find their way into industrial applications. To realise their full potential of 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ reduction, further development, scale-up and implementation will be required. At the same time, Moonshot Flanders continues to invest in new research that can contribute to the transition towards a climate-neutral industry.

Moonshot Flanders at a glance

• €137 million invested in industrial climate research
• 69 research projects approved since 2019
• 243 companies actively involved
• 12 Flemish universities and research organisations participating
• 5 pilot and demonstration facilities realised, 8 currently in development